WRITING SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS

In the last module, you were taught how to identify and differentiate various
research variables and its uses. Identifying your research variables is very
important since it will set the parameters of your study. Carefully selecting your
research variables also helps you to determine what will be investigated. As a
result, it will be easier for you to set the scope and delimitation of the study. This
lesson focuses on how you are going to indicate the scope and delimitation of
your study.
MOTIVATION:
Directions: Find five synonyms of “scope” and “delimitation”. Then, analyze and
connect the gathered words in order to form the meaning of “Scope
and Delimitation of the Study.

Synonyms Formed Meaning

1.

2.

Scope 3.

4.

5.

1.

2.

Delimitation 3.

4.

5.
INSTRUCTION:

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mabkne7w5d8

Scope and Delimitation

In doing research study, we make sure that we have certainty and reasons
for drawing the inclusion and exclusion of research variables. We do not write for
the sake of writing the parts of the research paper; such as setting the scope and
delimitation of your study. It is important because it draws the boundary of your
study. Without doing so, research procedures and results will not be coherent to
the goal of your study.
The scope specifies the coverage of your study such as variables,
population or participant, and timeline. Delimitation cites factors of your study
that are not included or excluded or those you will not deal in your study.
In this section of your research paper, you may also state the reasons why
you did not include the variables. A clearly written scope and delimitation of the
study will make it definitely easier to answer questions which are related or not
related to your study.
Directions: Read the sample scope and limitation and identify the boundaries of
the study by writing the corresponding components on the table below.

Sample Scope and Delimitation of the Study

 The main objective of this study is to provide information about students’
knowledge and perception of genetically modified foods and their family
health practices. The study also includes the student’s personal information
and occupation of their parents and siblings. This study is limited to the 120
Grade 12 Male and Female enrolled in the First Semester, School Year 2019-
2020 of Gusa Regional Science High School – X. Each of the respondent is given
questionnaire to answer. The students selected came from six different sections
to prevent subjective perceptions.

Components of the Scope and Delimitation

✓ Topic of the study

✓ Objective of the study or problems

to be addressed

✓ Time frame in which the study will

be conducted

✓ The locale or area where the study

will be conducted

✓ Characteristics of the participants

of the study
 ✓ Other parameters

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DELIMITATION AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Delimitations and limitations clarify the boundaries, exceptions, and reservations
inherent in every study. The two concepts are different in that:
Delimitations aim to narrow the scope of a study. For example, the scope may
focus on specific variables, specific participants, specific sites, or narrowed to
one type of research design (e.g., ethnography or experimental research).
Limitations, however, aim to identify potential weaknesses of the study. For
example, all statistical procedures and research strategies, such as surveys or
grounded theory studies have limitations. In introductory discussions about these
strategies, authors typically mention both their strengths and their weaknesses
Components of Scope and Delimitation
In writing the scope and delimitation of your study, you are also asking the basic
profile questions of your research. The following are the components of the scope
and delimitation of the study but not limited to:

Topic of the Study. What are the variables to be included and excluded?
Objectives or Problems to be Addressed. Why are you doing this study?

Time Frame. When are you going to conduct this study?

Locale of the Study. Where are you going to gather your data?
Characteristics of the Respondents. Who will be your respondents?

Method and Research Instruments. How are going to collect the data?

IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING THE LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Always acknowledge a study's limitations. It is far better for you to identify and
acknowledge your study’s limitations than to have them pointed out by your
professor and be graded down because you appear to have ignored them.

Keep in mind that acknowledgement of a study's limitations is an opportunity to

make suggestions for further research. If you do connect your study's limitations
to suggestions for further research, be sure to explain the ways in which these
unanswered questions may become more focused because of your study.

Acknowledgement of a study's limitations also provides you with an

opportunity to demonstrate to your professor that you have thought critically
about the research problem, understood the relevant literature published about
it, and correctly assessed the methods chosen for studying the problem.
Claiming limitations is a subjective process because you must evaluate the
impact of those limitations. Don't just list key weaknesses and the magnitude of a
study's limitations. To do so diminishes the validity of your research because it
leaves the reader wondering whether, or in what ways, limitation(s) in your study
may have impacted the findings and conclusions. Limitations require a critical,
overall appraisal and interpretation of their impact. You should answer the
question: do these problems with errors, methods, validity, etc. eventually matter
and, if so, to what extent?

POSSIBLE LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCHER

• Access -- if your study depends on having access to people, organizations,

or documents and, for whatever reason, access is denied or otherwise
limited, the reasons for this need to be described.
 • Longitudinal effects -- the time available to investigate a research problem
and to measure change or stability within a sample is constrained by the
due date of your assignment. Be sure to choose a topic that does not
require an excessive amount of time to complete the literature review,
apply the methodology, and gather and interpret the results. If you're
unsure, talk to your professor.

Here are examples of limitations you may need to describe and to discuss how
they possibly impacted your findings. Descriptions of limitations should be stated
in the past tense.
POSSIBLE METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS

• Sample size -- the number of the units of analysis you use in your study is
dictated by the type of research problem you are investigating. Note that,
 if your sample size is too small, it will be difficult to find significant
relationships from the data, as statistical tests normally require a larger
sample size to ensure a representative distribution of the population and to
be considered representative of groups of people to whom results will be
generalized or transferred.

• Lack of available and/or reliable data -- a lack of data or of reliable data

will likely require you to limit the scope of your analysis, the size of your
sample, or it can be a significant obstacle in finding a trend and a
meaningful relationship.

• Lack of prior research studies on the topic -- citing prior research studies
forms the basis of your literature review and helps lay a foundation for
understanding the research problem you are investigating. Depending on
the currency or scope of your research topic, there may be little, if any,
prior research on your topic.
 • Measure used to collect the data -- sometimes it is the case that, after
completing your interpretation of the findings, you discover that the way in
which you gathered data inhibited your ability to conduct a thorough
analysis of the results. For example, you regret not including a specific
question in a survey that could have helped address a particular issue that
emerged later in the study. Acknowledge the deficiency by stating a need
in future research to revise the specific method for gathering data.

REFERENCES:

• Luzano, R & Nopone, MD. 2020. Practical Research 2 Module 1. DepEd

Cagayan De Oro
• Cristobal, A. & Cristobal, M. C. (2017). Practical Research 2 for Senior
High School. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
• Brutus, Stéphane et al. Self-Reported Limitations and Future Directions in
Scholarly Reports: Analysis and Recommendations. Journal of
Management 39 (January 2013): 48-75; Senunyeme, Emmanuel K. Business
Research Methods. Powerpoint Presentation. Regent University of Science
and Technology.